Can Dogs Eat Sour Cream?

We all love our pooches and on occasion, we want to feed them scraps from the table. What we’ve come to know though is that not all foods that are safe for us are safe for our dogs.

So, can dogs eat sour cream? Is it safe to give them this type of food or should they stay away from it? Dogs can safely eat sour cream without much of a problem. The issue arises if your dog is lactose intolerant. They may exhibit some forms of allergic reactions like vomiting or diarrhea.

The other challenge is that it is high in fat and calories and can lead to unhealthy weight gains. In light of this, they need to be given in small amounts.

Sour cream is not toxic to dogs in any way. It’s safe for them to eat and there generally aren’t any problems associated with them consuming it unless there is a case of lactose intolerance. If you know that this is an issue, then you need to keep them away from it. can dogs have sour cream

Can dogs have sour cream

Definitely, dogs can eat sour cream. Just like for you and me, it has a lot of health benefits associated with it. There are many essential nutrients that are found in it and they benefit your dog as much as they benefit you.

Even though it has all these benefits, sour cream can also have some associated issues which we will get into a little later on.

The only reason that your dog can not eat sour cream is if they have lactose intolerance. If you’ve never fed your dog dairy products before, you may not be aware if your dog can keep dairy products down or not.

If you feed your dog sour cream or it happens accidentally, you need to monitor them over the course of the day to see if they exhibit any negative reactions to it. Let’s look at some potentially hazardous situations which may arise due to your dog consuming sour cream

Is sour cream bad for Dogs (Side Effects)

One of the major hazards of dairy products, as already mentioned is lactose intolerance. Because dairy products are not a dietary requirement for dogs, it’s not usual for dogs to consume them including sour cream.

Because of this, you may not know whether your pooch is allergic to them or not.

You will, however, immediately know if it’s going to be an issue or not if you feed them a small portion of sour cream or other dairy products and observe them over a couple of hours.

During this time, you need to be closely monitoring them for any symptoms that might point to lactose intolerance.

High Calories

Sour cream is also high in calories and although your dog needs a lot of energy to function, too many calories are not good for your dog. You want to make sure that you give them small amounts of sour cream say two to three table spoons at the most.

High Fat Content

Sour cream also contains high concentrations of fat. Combine these with the high amount of calories and you will have a situation where your dog will have abnormal weight gains.

When your dog gains too much weight and too quickly, it will result in a great amount of stress on the bones and chest.

This will lead to rickets or joint problems if your dog’s diet does not have sufficient amounts of calcium. Your dog will also develop breathing problems because of the added pressure on the chest. Try to keep the amounts of sour cream that you give to your dog as moderate as possible.

What Should I Do If My Lactose Intolerant Dog Consumes Sour Cream?

Let’s say you’ve given Fido some sour cream and he’s negatively reacting to it or maybe he managed to lick some off the kitchen counter without you noticing.

What do you need to do to make sure he doesn’t suffer? There are a few things you can do to help your child out.

If he starts to exhibit any of the symptoms we’ve highlighted earlier, put him on a 12 hour fast while giving him water.

This process will help clear out whatever is causing the ill effects. It’s also a great idea to have some lactose intolerance medication on hand that you can give to them for much quicker results.

They can be bought over the counter in most places or can be prescribed by your vet. If the symptoms do continue for more than a day, I recommend that you check with your vet to make sure that there are no other issues involved other than the lactose intolerance.

Conclusion on Can dogs eat sour cream?

Definitely they can. Sour cream provides the same nutritional benefits to our dog that they give us. Given in moderation, they will provide your dog with the fuel they need for growth and an active lifestyle.

The only time when it is not ideal to give your dog fresh cream is in situations where they may have lactose intolerance.

Make sure that you assess this feeding them a small amount of fresh cream and observing their response or by taking them to the vet to have them checked out.